Blake Lively’s Dad Talks about His Heart Surgery, Makes History as the First Stem Cell Heart Surgery
Ernie Lively has battled heart problems since he suffered a massive heart attack in 2003. But now he is feeling much better as he has become to be the first known patient to undergo genetic therapy to heal his broken heart.
The 66-year-old actor told People magazine that only half of his heart has been functioning properly in the past years, walking up a flight of stairs was a chore for him.
On Nov. 7, Blake Lively's father underwent a retrograde gene therapy, in which the patient's stem cells are injected to their heart to repair the damaged muscles as well as arteries.
Only weeks after the surgery, he has noticed an improvement on his health.
He said, "I woke up the other morning and told my wife, 'I haven't felt this good in years'."
He is even making big plans for the rest of his life.
"I moved to Utah because of the snow, but I haven't been able to ski. I literally didn't have the heart to do it. Now, I'm excited about living the rest of my life instead of sitting around," he added.
He also can't wait for Blake, his youngest daughter, to start her own family, saying, "My youngest daughter is newly married and wants a big family. She says she wants 30 kids. I said, 'Why don't you start with one?'"
It was Dr. Amit Patel who developed the innovative technique, Daily Mail reported. He said that he wanted to find a way to intervene with the progression of heart failure before the patient needs to have a heart transplant or device.
'It's incredible. Imagine having a heart procedure that can potentially regenerate or rejuvenate your heart muscle - and it's done as an outpatient procedure,' said Patel.